Preceded by Stepan Kubiv Name Valeriya Hontareva Profession Banker | Occupation Banker Spouse(s) Married | |
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Born 20 October 1964 (age 60)
Dnipropetrovsk, Ukrainian SSR, SSSR ( 1964-10-20 ) Alma mater Kyiv Polytechnic Institute
Kyiv National Economic University Children Mykyta Hontarev, Anton Hontarev Education Kyiv National Economic University (1997), Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (1987) Similar People Natalie Jaresko, Stepan Kubiv, Oleh Lyashko, Ihor Sorkin | ||
Valeriya Olexivna Gontaryeva or Valeria Gontareva or Valeriya Oleksiyivna Hontaryeva (Ukrainian: Вале́рія Олексі́ївна Го́нтарева Russian: Валерия Алексеевна Гонтарева) (born 20 October 1964 in Dnipropetrovsk) is Governor or Chairwoman of the National Bank of Ukraine. She submitted her resignation on 10 April 2017 and left the bank on 11 May 2017.
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Early life and career
Gontaryeva was born on 20 October 1964 in Dnipropetrovsk. She graduated in 1987 from Kiev Polytechnic Institute and in 1997 from Kiev National Economic University with a master's degree in Economics. After obtaining her degree in 1987, she was a junior researcher at the Ukrainian Centre for Standardization and Metrology for two years, and from 1989 to 1993, Gontaryeva worked as a design engineer in the institute "Hiprostrommashyna". In 1993 Gontaryeva started her career financial institutions and she held top positions in the Kiev branches of ING Bank and Societe Generale. In 1996 she became director of resource management Societe Generale in Ukraine and in 2001 deputy chairman of ING Bank (in 2007 for six months first deputy). From 2007 to 2014, she served as Chairwoman of then Investment Capital Ukraine (now ICU), Kiev based financial group. She officially sold her stakes in the company before becoming governor of the NBU. However, there were controversial discussions about the independence of her policy due to her close relation with the president Poroshenko as he hired for the sale of his Roshen holding her former company ICU beside Rotschild Group.
Her name was mentioned in the Panama leaks and questions have arisen concerning her business relations to VTB Bank in Russia.
Chair of the National Bank of Ukraine
On 19 June 2014 Gontaryeva replaced Stepan Kubiv as Chairwoman of the National Bank of Ukraine. Gontaryeva is the first female to lead the bank. In her official public income declaration for 2013, Gontaryeva stated an income of 3.884.679 UAH,a car park with an Infinity FX35, a Porsche Cayenne, a Porsche Panamera, a Toyota Landcruiser and several real estates. The official salary of the governor of the National Bank of Ukraine is actually at 163.000 UAH (approx. 6.500 USD) per month. During her time in the National Bank of Ukraine strict controls and limitations of foreign currency transactions were introduced and the official exchange rate of the national currency UAH more than doubled from 11.85 UAH to USD on 19 June 2014 to 25.13 UAH per USD on 25 May 2016. This was the most intensive devaluation period of the national currency of Ukraine and even exceeded the impacts of the financial crisis 2008. After assuring that the National Bank of Ukraine would provide all banks with sufficient US-Dollars for clients, Gontaryeva was not able by herself to buy 200 USD at a bank branch.
On 12 April 2016, the National Anti-Corruption prosecutor of Ukraine closed investigation cases, where Gontaryeva, her son Anton and her daughter in law were accused of illegal acts concerning their own deposits at insolvent Delta Bank.
On 10 April 2017, Gontaryeva submitted her resignation. This followed protests against her reforms, particularly from savers who had lost money in bank closures and through devaluation of the currency, and included a coffin being placed outside her home. On 11 May 2017, while still not formally dismissed, she left the bank and Deputy Governor Yakiv Smoliy took over her duties.
In August 2017 a court in Kyiv ordered the General Prosecutor of Ukraine to open investigations concerning criminal acts again.
Private life
Gontaryeva is married and has 2 sons; Anton born in 1988 and Nikita born in 2000.